Protect family health today and avoid unnecessary medical expenses in the future just makes good sense. Let me share just a few of the things that we have learned over the last 12-13 years to keep our medical expenses very low.

Homemaking Essentials #3 - Better Health

Welcome back to the next issue of Homemaking Essentials! In
the past few articles, we have discussed TIPS FOR THE BEST BREAD,
and HEALTHY KID FRIENDLY FAMILY Favorite Main Dish Recipes. If
you still have some unanswered questions, please feel free to
contact me anytime at marilyn@urbanhomemaker.com or call
toll free at 1-800-552-7323.

If you have been sticking with me here, you are concerned about
family health and nutrition. With medical costs skyrocketing
and no end in sight, taking steps to protect family health today
while avoiding unnecessary medical expenses in the future makes
good sense. Let me share just a few of the things that we have
learned over the last 12-13 years to keep our medical expenses
very low. At the bottom of this issue of Homemaking Essentials,
you can learn about how to obtain a top-of-the line drinking water
system for free, now until May 31, 2004.

Years ago I read a book that had a huge impact on me called
How to Raise A Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor.
This book taught me two principles that have saved our family
hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in unnecessary medical
expenses. Principle #1 : Most illnesses are self-limiting
and will resolve on their own if given enough time. Principle
#2: One medical intervention leads to another and leads to
another, etc. on down the line. Let me explain further Principle
#1:

How many times has your child had a high fever, a scratchy
throat, an ear infection, or some other acute ailment that had
you calling your doctor's office immediately? Usually they will
want to see the patient. Did you know that most illnesses, if
given enough time, will resolve on their own? Colds and viruses
go away eventually. Many times my kids have had a high fever,
a fall, or some other ailment I wasn't sure about. I found that
if I wait, and IF SYMPTOMS ARE NOT GETTING WORSE, the ailment
will eventually go away. ALL BY ITSELF! I have applied this principle
countless times when everything in my mother nature says call
the doctor. Meanwhile,I have learned that if I wait a minute,
an hour , another day, and if symptoms do get worse, that
I CAN SAVE THE COST of an unnecessary doctor visit. I have heard
some doctors say that up to 75% or more of patient visits fall
into what I call "unnecessary doctor visits".

Let me tell you how we learned Principle #2 in our family:
Principle #2 states: one medical intervention leads to another,
leads to another, etc. When my 15 year old son was aged two,
he started into a cycle of recurrent and repeated ear infections
and one round of anti-biotics after another over a period of many
months. At that time I didn't know about side-effects from anti-biotics,
nor did I know about the possible side-effects/risks of ear surgery
for "tubes". Time went on and I thought the ear infection
cycle was resolved, until we discovered that Stephen wasn't hearing
as well as we thought he could and it turned out the ear surgery
had resulted in "holes" in both ear drums that required
surgical repair. One intervention had led to another had led
to another, and the expenses and stress and strain on our family
were mounting. This cycle of interventions can often be stopped
at home by making a few dietary changes or by using herbal alternatives.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm NOT saying, "Don't go to
doctors!" But what I am saying is that oftentimes we moms
tend to over-use doctor visits, and that if an intervention is
needed, natural alternatives can be safer and more effective with
fewer side effects. Smart moms will read a wide variety of books
on herbs, natural remedies, health, diet, and cooking. Self-educated
homemakers will learn to recognize when an ailment requires medical
intervention and when patience, dietary changes, and herbs may
be indicated. I would suggest that you educate yourself with
books, newsletters, magazines, and other resources designed to
keep you challenged, informed, and encouraged as you seek to
fullfill your role as a homemaker. The Urban Homemaker publishes
a bi-monthly newsletter on a wide variety of subjects of interest
to homemakers called From the Heart of the Urban Homemaker.

Another family health topic, that rarely is discussed in popular
magazines and periodicals, is the topic of pure water. Although
municipal water sources usually meet EPA standards in most areas
of the country, the EPA has set standards for fewer than 100 contaminants
of the 50,000 different chemicals that have been produced since
1945. In fact, 21,000 pesticides are in use in the US annually.
This amounts to 2.2 billion pounds of pesticides in use on an
annual basis in the US. And the residue of these chemicals alone
are finding their way in increasing amounts into our drinking
water. This is only the tip of the iceberg because since the 1950's
with the advent of modern chemical usage, tons of contaminants
and residues are being disposed of are showing up with increasing
frequency in our drinking water.

There is a growing body of evidence to support the fact that
legal contaminants in water, although in very small amounts, are
associated with increasing incidences of miscarriage, childhood
cancers, bladder, brain, and kidney cancers in adults, and many
other ailments. For example, chlorine and chloramines, are used
to disinfect public water sources from bacteria. Their contact
with organic matter in water creates a compound called trihalomethanes,
a contaminant in drinking water, known to be carcinogenic over
time. Trihalomethanes are only removed from drinking water by
a limited number of water purification technologies.

Other contaminants that leach into the water supply in low
amounts include volatile organic chemicals such as pesticides,
lead, mercury, and chemicals associated with miscarriage including
PCBs, chlordane, toxaphene, and, occasionally, microspcopic cysts
such as giardia or cryptosporidium which are temporarily introduced
into the water. Local boil water orders generally result from
these micro-organisms.

Although the purpose of this short letter is to highlight information
of interest to homemakers, I would suggest that pure drinking
water is not something any family should take for granted. Filtering
the family (and pet) drinking water supply can be very INEXPENSIVE
over time yet have huge paybacks in better tasting, pure, drinking
water as well as in good health. In a day and age when cancers
and other degenerative diseases are increasing and conventional
treatments are not only expensive and lengthy, disease prevention
seems like a wise course of action.

Since pure drinking water can no longer be taken for granted,
it can be a daunting task to sift through the nearly 2,000 drinking
water systems on the market. We have developed a short questionnaire
that can be very helpful when searching for a drinking water system.
It is called "What are the Questions you should ask when
evaluating drinking water systems?" The questionnaire
is detailed below. At the bottom of this Homemaking Essentials
#3, we want to make you aware of how to obtain the best drinking
water system for most families for free.

WHAT ARE THE QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK?

1. Ask for the NSF listing for the specific product(s) you
are evaluating. Is the product listed under NSF standard #53
for Health Effects or under NSF Standard No. 42 for Aesthetic
Effects or both? NSF standards offer a meaningul comparison to
help a consumer understand the standards which were developed
by NSF International and adopted by many States for drinking water
treatment devices.

2. Ask for the product Perfomance Data Sheet (PDA). Many
states require that Performance Data Sheets be provided to all
prospective customers of water treatment devices. The data sheet
will list which contaminants can be removed.

3. Ask about the service cycle (stated in gallons of water
treated) of the device. How often will you need to change the
filter and what will replacement filters cost.

4. Ask about the product's flow rate.

5. Ask if the manufacturer or distributor provides a customer
satisfaction guarantee or warranty.

6. Ask about the range of contaminants which the unit can
reduce under standard #53. (Note: most water purifying devices
are certified under Standard No. 53 for turbidity and cyst reduction
only. Look for a system that also reduces pesticides, trihalomethanes,
lead, mercury, and VOC's. These contaminants are usually the
most dangerous and are odorless, tasteless, and colorless.)

Then there is always the question of whether to get a Solid
Carbon Block Filter, a Reverse Osmosis, Granular Activiated Carbon
Filter, a Distiller, or a Ceramic filter. For a comparison of
the pros and cons of the different water purification technologies,
check this link: http:tinyurl.com/24kwu

We at The Urban Homemaker, believe the Multi-Pure Drinking
Water System can offer superior performance at a better price,
and invite you to consider some of the many features the Multi-Pure
system offers:

* The Solid carbon Block filter removes scores of harmful pollutants
* Removes over 99% of microscopic organisms.
* Removes lead.
* Removes a wide range of toxic chemicals plus asbestos fibers.
* Removes 98-100% of chlorine, chloramines, and trihalomthanes.
* Has been extensively tested by both NSF International and UL
to confirm product superiority.
* Filters waer conveniently at your finger tips. No need to store
bottles of water.
* Requires no electricity; runs on household water pressure.
* Easy to install.
* Low initial cost with 0% financing.
* Offers low maintenance costs, average filter lasts 8-12 months.
* Low operating costs: approximately 7 cents per gallon.
* Built to last and comes with a 25 year warranty on the housing
and one year warranty on the parts.

Multi-Pure has re-instituted their popular FilterMania
Program for obtaining a FREE Multi-Pure System. Here's
how it works:

Prepay for ten Multi-Pure filters for the system you
desire. Multi-Pure will send the housing and accessories for the
system desired plus one filter, along with 9 replacement filter
coupons. When you are ready to replace your filter (average filter
life is one year) simply send in a coupon along with the shipping/handling
fee

For more information check the following URL: http://tinyurl.com/2g70j.

The above information is provided to educate, not to diagnose
any illnesses or prescribe any medical advice. You may freely
share this information with friends and relatives as long as it
is copied in full.

Our next installment, Homemaking Essentials #4, will be called
WHY MILL YOUR OWN FRESH FLOUR? I will be explaining
about the advantages of freshly milled flour along with a comparison
of the different electric and non-electric grain mills on the
market. Of course I'll be including a new, easy, delicious recipe
for Breakfast Bread and much more. As always, I'm available
to answer all your questions on baking and drinking water systems,
and issues of interest to homemakers at 1-800-552-7323
or email me at marilyn@urbanhomemaker.com.

Multi-Pure Solid Carbon Block EffectivenessMulti-Pure' solid carbon blocks have been noted to comprise the best drinking water filtration systems on the market by independent laboratory certification. These solid...

C - Is for Contaminants in WaterWhile children need water as much or more than adults, it is important to remember that they are also more vulnerable to contaminants found in tap water. Unfortunately,...